Rescue Mission Planet Earth

As an educational process this WebQuest involves meeting three objectives in eight steps

Objective 1: Understand we are part of nature in everything we do

Step 1  Study the resources

First, view the following video ‘We are part of nature….”.

http://www.purposefairy.com/76547/we-are-a-part-of-nature-not-apart-from-nature/

Second, read the blog ‘Learning for the future’, which introduces the ideas of ‘action education’, and has  links to Rescue Mission Planet Earth and to ‘Cultural Ecology’, which provide  a bigger cross curricular framework of worlds within worlds connecting people with environment.

http://blog.culturalecology.info/2016/02/08/learning-for-the-future-through-action-education/

Third, read the progress report on the implementation of Agenda 21, published in 2012

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/641Synthesis_report_Web.pdf

Then take a look at ‘The Big History Project’, which positions humanity as part of the history of the universe.

https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive

Step 2  You will calculate your carbon footprint after interviewing everyone in your household.

http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/

Then answer the following questions to design an action plan to live more sustainably, which is to be implemented in your house.

WHERE AM I NOW? This is where you, along with your family members, review your carbon footprint together.

WHERE DO I WANT TO BE? This is where you decide what your specific actions are for reducing your negative impact on the environment. You must be honest and realistic in this step so that your objectives are achievable. We all want to make our impact zero, but we have to start small and gradually improve.

HOW DO I GET THERE? This is where you make a plan to schedule the work needed, step by step, to achieve your objectives . It is important to have some indicators by which the plan’s outcome can be monitored.

HOW DO I COMMUNICATE ACHIEVEMENTS  You will make an advertisement- a brochure, poster, Facebook page or other advertising medium- that will convince your neighbours and  people from all over the world that your solutions are doable and necessary.

Objective 2:  Understand the connections between global warming,climate change, and economic inequalities.

Since the Rio Summit, global warming has been singled out as the world’s most important threat to sustainable development.  It is important to understand global warming because it is the outcome of the production of greenhouse gas emissions from mass production that have global consequences for climate stability, regardless of where they come from. Tackling climate change therefore requires coordinated action by nations around the world and all nations are party to international legislation that aims to achieve this by:

• Adapting to climate change   

• Mitigation (i.e. reduction) of greenhouse gas emissions

• Technology development and transfer to move away from the use of carbon energy.

Step 3  Go to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s  web site and watch the video you see there.

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/

Step  4    Visit the following web site which gives answers to 16 questions about ‘climate change’.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/28/science/what-is-climate-change.html?_r=0

Step 5    After watching the video click on "Take a Climate Change Expedition-Join Us" link and visit each of the 8 flagged sites on the globe to learn about the environmental issues facing each area of the planet. Listen and read carefully and make notes to use in your presentation.

Step 6  Read through Ramez Naam’s blog

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TaKOLQ_QIutprXdnF_bfFZ8B2OM_fZHP7D2wxz7ZoRY/edit

Make a comparison between the issues Naam has highlighted with those in Rescue Mission.  

Objective 3: Make an updated version of ‘Rescue Mission Planet Earth’

Step 7  

Go to the following website for ideas about the logic of writing action plans

http://www.biodiversity.ecoworld.co.uk/cwicnet

Step 8

From the ideas and information you have encountered in Steps 2-7, work individually or in a group, and choose 3  environmental issues that you feel are the most severe and/or urgent for the world community to tackle.  Make a Rescue Mission presentation using: typed text and visuals (either saved pictures from web sites, google images or clip art) created slides, that demonstrate your knowledge of these issues and the severity of the situation.

Use Rescue Mission Planet Earth as a template.  

http://www.sites.google.com/site/nowscan

http://www.culturalecology.info/baywatch/baywatch1/rescue_m/rescue_menu/index.html

Your advertising needs to be well written and include at least a paragraph of information about each solution. You should also include at least two visual representations about each of the 3 solutions you present in your advertising medium.  The more creative and convincing the better and remember your global audience!

Related WebQuest

http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=144266

Related WebQuest

http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=144266